Kenya

The welcome team was nice. Although the said that they would come take me around masiland but they did not. Although, the locals showed me around their land that they owned. The masi people were some of the most hospitable peopleI have ever met. They made me feel like family, even with a strong language barrier. They are very thankful that people want to learn about their culture. My host family was so nice. Whenever I come back to Kenya I have promised to see them again. They really made me feel like a part of their family. I felt very safe in masiland. The people explained to me it is one of the safest places near Nairobi. The doors were locked and there was barbed fencing around their houses to protect us. One warning I would give to a person going to Masiland is get ready for the culture shock. The food is very different and they do not eat meat often. The biggest difficulty was communication, my host family did not speak much english, only the children spoke english. It was hard communicating with them when the children were not there.

The welcome team was nice. Although the said that they would come take me around masiland but they did not. Although, the locals showed me around their land that they owned. The masi people were some of the most hospitable peopleI have ever met. They made me feel like family, even with a strong language barrier. They are very thankful that people want to learn about their culture. My host family was so nice. Whenever I come back to Kenya I have promised to see them again. They really made me feel like a part of their family. I felt very safe in masiland. The people explained to me it is one of the safest places near Nairobi. The doors were locked and there was barbed fencing around their houses to protect us. One warning I would give to a person going to Masiland is get ready for the culture shock. The food is very different and they do not eat meat often. The biggest difficulty was communication, my host family did not speak much english, only the children spoke english. It was hard communicating with them when the children were not there.

This company is possibly the worst, and if you are searching for a good experience I sugest you ignore their cheap prices because otherwise you will come to regret it.

I travelled to Kenya for the Mombasa project in the beginning of March, from the get go the company showed little interest after payment had been made. They would take ages to reply to e-mails and phone calls were non existent.

Upon arrival (following an 8 hour flight from London) my supposed airport pick up, was no where to be found. Turns out the lack of communication between OV and their connections was as bad as they were with me, they failed to communicate that I was to arrive in Nairobi and not Mombasa. I had to take another 8 hour coach ride to the coast to meet my pick up.

Upon arrival I was told that the volunteer house that had been out of use for over 5 months and that volunteers had been staying at the White Castle Hotel (the Kenyan welcome pack from OV stated all volunteers had to stay at the volunteer house). To make matters worse, not only did they not tell me the volunteer house was out of use, Emma also lied to me and told me there were another two volunteers already at the supposed 'volunteer house'. It turned to to be only me and absolutely no project to volunteer, as the Grandsons of Abraham Rescu Center was recruiting street kids and so there was nothing for me to do.

One day on my lack of volunteering I was out doing touristy things as a way to kill time and I was robbed and beaten near Fort Jesus. When i repported the incident to OV they completely ignored my pleas, screened my calls and refused to refund me my monies. Luckily I had payed via paypal and they found in my favour.

I have a police report and will be taking further action against this so called company for negligence and misrepresentation. I would definitely not recommend them to anyone, DO NOT let the prices fool you!

Elective Africa satisfied my expectation and desire to experience a new health system.

I signed up in September and actually began my volunteering experience in November 2016 through December 2016. I flew from Boston, MA to Nairobi, Kenya and was picked up by the In-Country Coordinator, Barnabas and his friend, Jackson. The two brought me to Barnabas' house to meet his family and welcome me to Kenya. I spent the next few days with Barnabas and Jackson visiting an orphanage and school that Barnabas oversees and then going on a 3-day safari in the Masai Mara that Barnabas arranged. The safari was terrific, staying with locals and seeing some amazing wildlife. When that ended I spent another evening at Barnabas' home and was then driven to a bus station where I took a bus to Voi and was picked up by by the Park Rangers from Lumo Community Wildlife Sanctuary where I was to stay fro the next month, helping rangers with their duties monitoring the game preserve. Over the next month I became close with all of the rangers, each who lived in the sanctuary with their families and children. I spend days learning the local culture, working with the rangers to remove poaching traps and herding private cattle off the preserve. I ate what they ate, slept where they slept and generally assimilated into their daily routine. Each ranger was unique and welcoming and all were supportive and helpful. I was pleased to find that during my time in Kenya, everywhere I went I had quality cell phone coverage. I brought my T-Mobile service with me and I was connected to both voice and data almost 24/7. I never once found myself concerned about security or safety and I never experienced any illnesses or discomfort from food that I ate or water that I bathed in or drank. When my program ended I was picked up in Voi by Barnabas and Jackson who then drove me back to Nairobi where I stayed again at Barnabas' home for a few nights until I returned to the U.S. Overall, without any doubt, all the people involved in this program were exceptional, kind, helpful and honest. I can't recommend enough IFRE, Barnabas, Lumo Community Wildlife Sanctuary and Kenya in general. I'd be happy to provide advice and references to anyone interested in going.

- Chris Macheras

After years of contemplation, I finally made the decision to participate in a Kenya Care Project for four weeks in the summer of 2016. I can confidently say it was the best decision of my life. From the second I was greeted at the airport by two staff members to the heartbreaking moment I had to say goodbye to my host family, I received so much love, guidance, and wisdom from the people of Kenya. I lived and volunteered in a small market town called Nanyuki, which is about three hours north of Nairobi. I was a little nervous at first about living with a host family, but I quickly learned I had absolutely nothing to be nervous about. My host family was so loving, welcoming, fun, and just all around amazing people. I was provided with great living accommodations and plenty of food the entire duration of my trip. Not only did I love my living accommodations, I also had a great experience at my volunteer placement. I spent the weekdays at a home for children with disabilities ranging in age from 5-16 years old. At this particular site the children attended school and received rehabilitation. This was great for me because I was able to both help in the classroom and also in Occupational therapy. The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming, and I could tell they appreciated any assistance I was able to give them. Outside of volunteering I had plenty of free time to explore, socialize, and relax. The possibilities are endless when staying in Nanyuki, and everyone can find some sort of adventure that peeks their interest. The other volunteers were so fun and friendly, and to this day have become some of my dearest friends. In the evenings we would hang out in the Projects Abroad office in town or relax at a coffee shop. On the weekends I participated in excursions including a day-long safari, visiting a nearby animal orphanage, and traveling back down to Nairobi to shop in the markets. Other volunteers also hiked at Mount Kenya, or even flew to Mombasa for a few days. All in all, I cannot imagine my life having not gone to Kenya through Projects Abroad. I highly recommend taking advantage of any opportunity you have to travel through this organization; I know I would do it again in a heartbeat.

It's really hard to put into words the amazing and life changing experiences I have had at Gabriel school over the past 2 weeks, but I am going to try my best. For years I have wanted to do some voluntary work abroad with children but never had the guts to do it. This year I just decided to be brave and go for it. I looked at many different voluntary organisations, most of them seemed expensive and didn't really stand out to me. I then spoke to a friend who recommended I got in touch with Susan to find out more about Nakuru Hope. I am so glad I did, as from the start Susan was very patient and helpful, I had many questions to ask and she was always very quick at responding to them. After speaking to Susan I quickly realised that this was the project for me and I booked my trip to Nakuru.
As soon, as I got off the plane I was collected by a taxi which had been arranged by Susan. I was then taken to the Niarobi Club Hotel, where I stayed overnight. I was collected in the morning by a man called George (the school often use George to collect volunteers.) I had chosen to visit the Giraffe park and Elephant orphanage, so George took me to visit both of these places before driving down to Nakuru, George was very friendly. As I travelled down to Nakuru we drove past some of the slums. When I saw them it hit me I wasn't at home anymore, and the slums were what many people in Africa were living in. I was fully aware that many people in Africa live in slums, and had seen them many times on T.V. But nothing can actually prepare you for seeing it in real life. When we eventually arrived at Gabriel School I remember thinking oh my god I am actually living in the slums (although I knew that was where I was going, but again nothing really prepares you for it.) When I arrived at Gabriel school I was greeted by one of the teachers. She then took me to the home stay where I was greeted by another volunteer and the housekeeper called Lucy. I was made to feel welcome from the moment I stepped through the doors of the school. I was pleasantly surprised by how nice the home stay was, I was expecting it to be very basic but it had everything we needed and more.
For the first few days there was just me and one other volunteer staying at the home stay. I was very grateful for that, as it allowed me to adapt to the different culture. It took a couple of days to get over the culture shock, but I soon realised that I just had to adapt to the African culture otherwise I was not going to get the most out of my experience. Within the first day I was introduced to all the children and teachers, everyone was so welcoming and friendly. I was made to feel like part of the family from the moment I got there. Christopher (the headmaster) was also very welcoming and within the first few days he would often come by to say Hi and see how I was. As I was shown around the classrooms, the children would greet me by singing songs which made me feel so welcome.
Before I even started my trip I was certain that I would feel emotional seeing all the children (especially the ones in the orphanage.) However, I was wrong, I never once felt emotional when spending time with the children. This is because all the children seemed so happy to be both getting an education and feeling safe in the orphanage. When you hear some of the orphans stories it's no wonder they are happy to be living at the orphanage. A place they are loved and have a safe and secure place to live. All the children were so welcoming, the older children loved coming to have a conversation with you (and they spoke very good English). The younger children, also seemed to enjoy my company. They were happy just to hold my hand and just wanted affection. They also liked playing circle games with me and teaching me some of their Swahili songs they like to sing. I enjoyed spending time in the classrooms, I work in a nursery back home so it was very interesting to see how the education differs. I went into class 3 one day where the children were so happy to have me there. They were very eager to ask me questions about England. They were also very keen for me to teach them English, so I spent a short period of time teaching the English class. After that they all made me some beautiful cards which were full of lovely words; there writing and English was amazing. I also enjoyed going into the top class with teacher Gracie, she is a brilliant teacher who is full of energy. She gets the children up singing regularly and keeps the lessons fun but also educational.
I was also lucky enough to visit the farm during my time at the school, Christopher showed us around the farm which is absolutely brilliant. Whilst we were at the farm some of us were helping to build a shed for the cow they are getting, as others were helping to collect the beans ready to take back to the school kitchen. All the food grown on the farm is used to feed the children at the school. Whilst I was at the farm I got the opportunity to speak to Christopher. He was telling me all about the farm and how he hopes that one day in the future he will be able to grow enough food to feed the community as well as the school.
During my time at the school I also got the chance to take part in some home visits with Christopher and another volunteer. This experience was eye opening and really brought to light the harsh reality of what these families are exposed too. The houses we visited were not much bigger than a shed! Inside them there was often a huge mattress that was up against the wall and a small sofa and that was it. The houses were often very dark and had no light, there were usually a big family living in these houses. As we visited the families we took them food and sometimes money. The families seemed very happy to see us and were very welcoming. We walked quite a long way through the slums to visit these different houses. At that point it hit me that this is the walk the children do every day on their own to get to and from school, including the younger children. I also got the chance to go on a house clean, the mother was an alcoholic who seemed to have lost hope. Christopher and Susan wanted us to go and clean the house to show the mother that we still had hope. When we got there the house was filthy so we took everything out and began cleaning the house. The mother was nowhere to be seen and she had left her little boy all on his own, I would say he was about 5-6 years old. The mother had still not returned by the time we had finished the house clean so it was decided that we would take the little boy back to the orphanage with us, feed him and let him have a good night’s sleep. The little boy came with us happily and when he got to the school I remember just watching him as he ran around with the other children looking very happy and content. The mother did not turn up to collect him so he is now living in the orphanage with the other children and seems to be happy and has settled really well.
Christopher and Susan are two of the most incredible and inspirational people I have ever met. We need more people like them in the world as it would make it a much better place. I was lucky enough to spend time with Susan as she was at the school the same time as me, which was brilliant as I learnt so much from her. Susan and Christopher don't just look after the children and community but they also make sure all the volunteers are safe and happy. I was worried at first about not feeling safe out in the slums but having Christopher and Susan around made me feel incredibly protected. Christopher and Susan do not just want to help the children but they also have want to help their community too. Christopher often said that we need to do home visits regularly to ensure that the families are ok, he believes that by visiting the families it can help to give them hope, and show them that people do care. One of the many things I love about this organisation is that it is not just about helping the children, it is also about helping in the community. Thankfully Nakuru have Christopher and Susan, as without the amazing work that these two incredible people do the children at Gabriel’s School and orphanage would not have access to an education, or a loving and caring home. Instead they would be living in the slum somewhere with no prospects or chance of bettering their lives.
I have recently returned home from my adventures and it is proving hard to adjust back into normal everyday life. I never thought I would say this but I am missing the slums and cannot wait to return next year. Since returning home all I have been thinking about is what I can do to help raise money for Gabriel's School.
For anyone who was like me and felt like they could not do this experience alone, trust me you can and once you have done it will change you forever.

GOT ROBBED FROM MY ORGANISATION IN KENYA!
read this!!!!!!
This was my secound volunteering, after a great experience last year in India with iSPiiCE now a bad one with RCDP in Kenya.
The preorganisation with RCDP Nepal was good, everything went as requested and i was very excited about my volunteering!
but than the BIG LIE for doing the "most affodable Volunteering"! Its true that the starting cost are low .... but when you are there they try so suck the money out of you!
First the transport cost of the organisation are huge! 50$ for airport pick up - half an houre drive - one way!!! and 75$ to be grought to the projekt in maasailand - one way of course! i payed 250$ for 4 transportations!!! ok you can see it as a donation .....
But than the BIG ROBBERY!!
they organised a safari for me and asked me 600$ garantee the best price because they have sooo good connections!!! At the safari i learnd that i was paying doubble than everybody else (7 people) 300-320$ for the very same tour! A regular price would be like 350$ because 140$ is just entrance at maasai mara and 160$ so for journey and stay! Whey i complained to Barnabas (head organisator) he just said the difference would be for organising and didnt refund me!!! SUCh A BIG RUBBERY i m sooo endless disappointed!!!
But doiing volunteering is a great thing!!!! i can just reccomend to everybody but pay attention with your organisation especcially with RCDP Kenya!

I was allocated to work as a volunteer nurse at a small medical clinic called Kibera Human Development Project Clinic. The medical clinic is situated in one of the most deprived areas of Nairobi. I started working there 22 Nov/15 and i will complete 8 weeks working there.

I was received very professionally by an honest local representative of Kenya Global Crossroads, named Barnabas. He introduced me to the Doctor in charge and the staff of the Clinic.

I was honoured to work with Dr Stanley who is a wonderful caring, honest and knowledgeable man. I admire him for his courage in undertaking this challenging work in a slum area of Nairobi.

I have learned a lot from him through observation and consultations.

I thank Global Crossroads who connected me to this volunteer opportunity.

Regards

Soraya Roberts